Hello Stranger
by LusciousNesha
Summary: Prompt: A story 10 years in the future. Henry has not seen or communicated with Charlotte in years. His best friend, Jasper sets him up on a blind date with an old friend.
1. Chapter 1

_A few different things went into the creation of this fic. One was a request: _"A story 10 years in the future. Henry has not seen or communicated with Charlotte in years. His best friend, Jasper sets him up on a blind date with an old friend." _Another was a chat with the fandom bestie about various ideas we both have the mind for but not necessarily the time for. But, what really made me definitely go for it/make the time for this one was me rewatching Moonlight and remembering the classic goodie that is Hello Stranger by Barbara Lewis. It's not very long and I don't have the time to make it longer, so hopefully, it's enjoyable._

**Hello Stranger.**

Jasper knocked on Henry's door and wondered, "Are you cancelling the date?"

Henry was literally in his boxers with a bowl of Frittles and about to turn on the Dog Judge marathon on the classics channel. "Ohhh… Yeah… I guess, I am!" He reached for his phone to text Jasper's friend, but Jasper snatched the phone and texted instead, _So sorry! Running late. Will definitely be there. _"There! She's expecting you to be a little late. Let's get you dressed, now!" He took the bowl, much to Henry's dismay and pulled him up by the wrists.

"Dude, just because you just got engaged doesn't mean I need to go on a date!"

"No, it doesn't. But, you're certainly not gonna cancel a surprise date that I worked my butt off to arrange for you to sit in your underwear eating chips!"

"Some people would kill to have that option…" Henry complained. Jasper was hearing none of it. This was probably the best date that Henry would ever have. He had been sinking more and more into his work and becoming numb in every other area of his life. He barely noticed when Jasper stopped coming home, when Jasper fell in love, and when Jasper got around to being so involved with his partner that he was now engaged and getting ready to plan the rest of his life. He hardly even seemed to care when Jasper told him. He'd simply said, "Okay, well, I can move into the gift shop. That office in the back has room for a little bed."

No! Jasper didn't want to see his best friend die, a sad, lonely old man, or worse… Be a soulless manbaby like Ray Manchester. He wanted to see him happy and in love, or _at least _among a friend or two. It couldn't be Jasper, right now. He would do what he could, but planning a wedding, contemplating children, and selecting a family dog were all his top priorities for now… If only he could get his worries off of Henry's lack of a social life. So, he set him up on a blind date with an old friend and wanted it to be a surprise to the both of them.

His plan - to get them there to meet up and then voila! Seeing each other should do the rest. But, he didn't want too much anticipation, so he just referred to them as "A friend that I think you'd like," and gave them contact numbers and got them to text what they would be wearing. Now, Henry was so disinterested in this date that he forgot it was even happening; nevermind what she was supposed to be wearing! But, Jasper searched the text and found Henry's outfit to fit the description… But it was "like a flannel shirt or plaid or something and jeans and boots." Jasper rolled his eyes.

But her response had been, "Okay. Sounds casual. Then, I'll have maybe a floral blouse and khaki shorts. I'll throw a flower in my hair in case the place is riddled with cutiepies in khaki."

Jasper wiped his face, "It's like neither of them even _want _to do this."

.

Charlotte was already at the bar, with a virgin drink in a coconut. If Jasper's little friend was gonna be all casual and stuff, she decided on a pretty casual place, but one with great ambience that wasn't too far from her house, in case he was a loser. He was friends with Jasper, so… She chuckled and shook her head. That wasn't nice. Besides, you _dated _him! But, that was ages ago. She and Jasper. And, it was honestly unexpected and probably just a move of convenience. They'd just gotten so close being in the background of all of Kid Danger's things… She smiled to herself. Kid Danger. Henry Hart… Now, what the heck was HE up to?

She wondered if he'd kept in touch with Jasper. He certainly hadn't kept in touch with her. She hadn't seen or spoken to Henry in 10 years, despite all of those "friends always" declarations they'd made over the years as friends. It was surprising to her, but she got it. The guy was a superhero. Keeping in touch couldn't be easy. She wasn't even a hero and even keeping in touch with Jasper had been difficult for her, especially in the past few years. Engaged? That was bonkers to her. He was probably still a great guy and all, but that somebody was ready to marry him forever… That was… Incredible.

"Charlotte Page?" She heard a voice say and she turned and SPEAK of the Devil!

"Henry Hart?" her face brightened and she smiled and said, "Wow! HI! Good to see you!" She reached for a hug. "What are you doing here?" She asked. Then, she winced a little. _It's a bar and grill. He's probably here for dinner, ya gunch!_

Well, he didn't want to say that he was meeting a date. In fact… Now, he didn't want to meet his date! In fact… He had to cancel that date and Jasper would just have to be mad at him later. Charlotte obviously noticed his hesitation and filled in the space with her own plans, "I'm uh… I'm meeting someone for dinner, but I think he's running late, if you wanna try to catch up for a bit?"

"Yeah. I do. I'd love that. I've just gotta run to the bathroom and wash my hands, then I'll be right back to see what the ever-beautiful Charlotte Page is up to these days." Henry rushed off and she smiled at his retreating back, noticing that he was in plaid and jeans. Wait… She took her phone out to check the text, because that was pretty much what her Jasper date was supposed to be wearing, and that would be quite the coincidence if… _Hey. It's Jasper's friend. So sorry. Something really important came up and I can't make it. Hopefully you have a great night though. _She looked suspicious. More and more, this was looking like… She saw Henry returning, and tossed her phone into her bag and tried not to drool over him.

He looked good. Like _really _good. And… his plaid was gone. Why was his shit gone? He just had on a t-shirt now. "Spilled water on myself, like an idiot and had to ditch my shirt," he said.

She laughed at that. "How do you spill water on yourself washing your hands?"

"I actually remembered that I had to wash my face too and also brush my teeth…"

"How and why would you even leave your home without doing that?" She asked, pretty disgusted.

"Enough about me! What's up with you? You look good. You said that you're meeting somebody?"

"Yeah. Well, not anymore. My schedule has freed, so - you wanna be my date tonight?" As soon as it came forth from her lips, she regretted it and tried to correct herself, "Not like date, but you know, like a date, an old friend date or whatever… Not… It doesn't have to be a date, but…"

"I'd love to be your date," he said, cutting her off and beckoning the bartender over. "What are you drinking? Something girly?"

"Something fruity and alcohol free."

"No drinking for Ms. Page?"

"Not while I'm on a date. It hinders the decision making portion of the brain."

"You won't be obnoxious about it if _I _order a drink, will you?"

"Absolutely not. I do find it harder to trust people's words and actions when they've hindered the decision making portion of their brain, but a great deal of my business happens because of those types of mistakes."

"Morbid. What kind of doctor are you?"

She laughed, "What makes you think that I'm a doctor?"

"Well, I remember that you were going to go into engineering or medicine. I just haven't talked to you enough to know which direction you went in."

"Well, I was an engineering major, but I changed halfway through college. Never EVER bring that up to my parents, because they are both still pissed at me, to this day! I had gone through a bad breakup and my ex was top of our class and in the same field. I wanted both some distance and a change, so I let her have that world and I dove head first into political science."

"Her? Your ex was a her?" Henry asked smiling.

"Grow up, Henry. People should connect at soul."

"No, I agree. I just didn't know. I knew you and Jasper dated in college. I thought that was pretty funny."

"I don't know if I like the word funny to describe that. It was definitely not perfect, but Jasper will always have a special place in my heart. He's a good friend and he was a good boyfriend. He just wasn't one for a long journey."

"One for a long journey?" The bartender came and Henry said, "Yeah, I just need a licorice soda with a lime." She grimaced at that order. That sounded disgusting. But, he went back to the conversation, "What is one for a long journey?"

Charlotte smiled and said, "Well… I don't believe in eternity. I don't believe in soul mates. I don't believe in 'the one.'"

"Great date topic."

"Don't interrupt. What I do believe is that individuals evolve and develop and the people that we interact with add to and take away from our lives, in order for us to become our best selves. We have to use every connection that we have as a means to grow. People are there so that we can take a journey together that nobody else is equipped to take with us. Sometimes the journey is short. Mine and Jasper's was because we were friends stepping out into a bright new world and scared shitless. We needed support and wanted romantic connection in the meantime. It was great for what we both needed at the time. He helped me to relax when I was stressed and I helped him to take things seriously. It flowed until neither of us were getting what we wanted or needed and both of us knew that the journey had ended. But, then I met someone who… if I did believe in soul mates, she could have been that… But, a couple of years later, I realized that even though it was a longer journey than Jasper's, it wasn't an endless journey. I also realized that my journey needed a detour."

"All of that is so over my head. Basically what I heard is that you love being in love but it's being committed that you're unsure of."

"You heard a different monologue than I gave, I assure you," she laughed. "I am very committed, as a friend, a lover, or a business associate. My trustworthy reputation is how I keep clients."

"You never told me what you do! You went into political science… Wait! Are you a lawyer?"

She smiled and said, "I thought about it, but I wound up working as a political analyst after becoming popularized by my commentary on social media and ran out of the time and energy for law school. I did eventually take the bar exam in a state that lets you do that without finishing law school, but I only did that to say that I did it." She laughed.

"Same overachieving Char. So, you built an online rep and wound up doing well."

"Yep. I went into crisis management a couple of years ago and recently started my own firm."

"Crisis management…"

"Like what Olivia Pope does, but not as sensational… or as dangerous. Though, I have definitely gotten death threats…"

Henry suddenly looked alarmed and went into protective mode, "From who? They ever find them?"

She laughed and said, "Calm down, Hero. No need to blow a bubble tonight… Is that still how you do it?" She wondered. He raised an eyebrow and finally got his soda. "You know what? After 10 years, it's totally inappropriate of me to wonder about that part of your life. I'm sorry I asked."

"No. It's alright. I mean… I always presumed that you knew I was still working."

"I am definitely a Captain Danger fangirl," she said and blushed slightly.

"He's alright."

"Not according to my research. He's expanded outside of Swellview, Bordertown, Neiborville, Rivalton, and I heard that he might be looking to expand even as far as Metroburg."

"Jasper's not supposed to be telling people stuff, Man."

"He's really bad at secrets when it comes to me, but he did good this time. I had no idea that he was setting this up."

"Setting what up?"

"...This date. Didn't Jasper send you here to meet up with a friend of his tonight?"

"Yeah… Wait… That was you?"

"Yeah. You totally ditched me tonight to go on a date with a more charming, hotter woman."

Henry was bright red in the face. "I am so sorry! Why didn't he just say that he wanted us to meet up? He knows I hate blind dates."

"Maybe he didn't think you'd want to see me. Last time we talked, it was pretty… uncertain how things would go. Then, we never talked again. Whenever we were dating, he would always ask, 'Have you and Henry still not talked?' and I'd tell him that you never call."

"You never called, either."

"I didn't think it should be up to me. You were the one who was angry. I gave you space. I guess Jasper decided it was too much space."

"Jasper decided that he didn't want to see me move onto a cot in office of the florist and gift shop that I opened a floor above Junk n' Stuff, because that's what I intend to do since my roommate is getting married and it'd be a dick move to try to get him to move out of our apartment."

"Jasper and Donovan are not moving into that apartment. They've got a house."

"Jasper and Donovan have a house?"

"Donovan has a house and they'll expect Jasper to move in, I'm sure…" She squinted her eyes and reminded him, "You know that Donovan's pronouns are they, their, them?"

"Right. I do know that. Because, I was definitely told that. And I definitely can't determine outside of that who Donovan might be."

"You are borderline being transphobic. Donovan is nonbinary and they look adrogynous, but anything beyond that is quite frankly none of our business."

"I wasn't being phobic. I just never really got a chance to be around this person much and now Jasper is marrying them? Like… Where did the time go? Where did my friends go?" He blinked a little and Charlotte reached out and held his hand. He looked at their hands, then into her eyes.

"Whoever you need on your journey will definitely be in your path whenever you do need them." She smiled and squeezed his hand, "It feels good to be back…. You want to order something to eat?" His thumb caressed her skin and he nodded. She grabbed the menu that had been sitting in front of her this entire time and said, "I heard this place had a rockin' jackfruit menu."

"Jackfruit? They have a tomahawk steak called the Hunk o' Cow… It's like… It's the best thing I've ever eaten."

"I'm not eating a hunk of cow. Oooh, I see the jackfruit menu. This jackfruit poke bowl sounds good."

"It absolutely does not!"

.

After dinner, Henry walked Charlotte to her car and she was unsure if they should hug it out, kiss, if she should invite him to her place, ask to come to his… "Hey… I had a really great time. If this was a date with anyone else, I might wonder if they would like a nightcap. Me and you… There's just so much history in the air. But, if you're fine with us taking a different journey than we initially had before, my place isn't far."

Henry wrapped his hands around Charlotte's waist and pulled her to himself for a hug. He felt her shiver in his touch and as much as he enjoyed that, she was right. There was a lot of history there and in his opinion, not nearly as much catching up as he needed in order to let his guard down with her yet. "That sounds amazing, but maybe another time? I definitely want some kind of journey with you. Just… Maybe a slow one, if that's okay?"

She smiled and nodded. "Of course it is." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and got into her car. "You have my number now. Call me. Don't wait ten years."

"You kidding. You might be stuck on a very long journey with me, now."

"Don't threaten me with a good time," she said and winked. "It was really good to see you, Hen." She started her car and this song began to play on the satellite station she had on. She heard the words and wondered if that was some kind of sign as she drove home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Stranger Part 2**

Henry got home several hours after that date. He expected Jasper to not be there as he often wasn't, but Jasper tried waiting up for him and dozed off on the couch with his arms folded, wearing a bonnet on his head. Henry had to snap a photo of that, but accidentally flashed and woke him up. "Oh! Heyyy… didn't mean to flash. Sorry about that."

Jasper looked at his own phone and shook his head, "Char updated me hours ago. Where have you been?"

Henry joined him on the couch and grabbed one of the throw pillows. "I was thinking about the 10 years of recovery that you decided needed to be tossed out of the window." He forced a smile and laid down, kicking his shows off as he did. "I was thinking about how Char acted like nothing ever happened and was so chill with seeing me again that she invited me over." He threw his feet onto Jasper's lap, "And I was wondering if I'm an idiot for declining or if I was an idiot for what happened 10 years ago."

"Hey, Henry…" Jasper said empathetically, "You can be an idiot in both of those situations." He volunteered rubbing his friend's feet. "And I don't want to rehash the unpleasant disagreement, but don't you think it's time that both of you either addressed it or got past it?"

"I thought I was past it. But, I had a chance to go home with the woman I thought I was gonna marry someday… and I didn't feel like I knew her. I felt like I didn't know if I could trust her with my heart again."

Jasper rolled his eyes and informed him, "You can't just sneak your heart into people's possessions and expect them to handle it with care. You never told her how you felt!"

"She didn't give me a chance! She was too busy judging me and telling me what I got wrong… attacking Ray for not being perfect and me for loving him the way he is."

Jasper squinted and shook his head, "I don't think that's exactly what happened."

"That's how I felt…" he was so relaxed from Jasper's foot rub, but also worked up from thinking about the last time he'd talked to Charlotte before this surprise date…

_"Jasper, have you seen Charlotte?" He asked._

_"Yeah, she's making her rounds, making everybody cry with her goodbye words of wisdom."_

_"Oh yeah? What'd she tell you?"_

_"She punched me in the shoulder and said, "Good knowing ya!" Jasper said excited. Henry almost laughed but that was kinda sad. She must have been joking and was gonna speak to Jasper later. _

_Henry found her and Ray sitting next to each other. Ray had Katelyn on his lap and was brushing her fur while Charlotte was very emotional in speaking to him. "Only a sociopath wouldn't feel __**anything**__!" Henry heard her say._

_"Yooo… what's uh.. what's up?" _

_Ray scoffed and stood up, "Bye, Charlotte." Then to Henry, he said, "She's all yours." And grumbled as he left. Charlotte sighed and shook her head._

_Henry sat next to her now and wondered, "What did I just interrupt?"_

_She shook her head, "Nothing. I was done with my goodbye and had entered into the dangerous ground called reality. A place Ray refuses to even visit sometimes."_

_Henry nodded. He could see that. "You got any last words for me?"_

_"Last words? I planned on talking to you all the time. You trying to tell me something, Hen?"_

_He laughed and shook his head, "Nope. Just that you ARE leaving me behind, so I thought maybe you had some words of wisdom or something."_

_"I'm going away to school, not "leaving you behind." So, jot that down and check the 'tude. And I'm also gonna be talking to you whenever we have a chance."_

_"Yeah. Okay," he said, sounding doubtful._

_"Well, if you want some words, I can give you some. My advice, be more careful and take care of yourself better. Jasper is gonna be a little further away than before and I'm gonna be really far. I don't feel like Ray is gonna have you in mind on the level that we do, so you know… be good to Henry like you would to me or Jasper." He furrowed his eyebrows. "Asked Ray to take care of you and he acted like I made a blood covenant for him to serve you for the rest of his life or something."_

_Henry sighed and said, "Okay. You can tone it down, now. I get it. I can't do anything without you here." He said sarcastically._

_She laughed, unsure if he was serious and he snapped, "That's comical? You getting all up in what Ray and I have built like you have all the answers in the world?"_

_"You obviously heard something that I didn't say. I said take care of yourself."_

_"Because nobody else will? You think that just because you turn your back on me after all of these years that means everybody else will?"_

_"What are you…?"_

_"I don't like how judgmental you're being. It's unkind and unfair and what gives you the right? He's gone through a lot and you don't know what it is to be a hero and have to fight everyday for other people."_

_"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Okay, so we're going to really act like Ray's not a grown man who, after experiencing the trauma of being forced into hero life by an irresponsible adult, turns around and does that to someone else's kid and I'm the bad guy for trying to get you to look out for yourself?"_

_"Ray is my partner! He's not perfect by a longshot, but newsflash Char - neither are you. Yet you feel the need to judge everybody else like you've been changing the world from behind the control panel computer screen."_

_She felt like he had punched her in the gut and he saw it in her eyes. He'd gone too far and to be frank, he wasn't sure why. It was partially because he felt like she wasn't giving Ray enough credit, but years later he could admit that it was most likely because he was feeling abandoned by her._

_"You know what, Henry? You are obviously feeling some type of way about me right now. I'm not going to beg you to see reason. Take care of yourself and call me whenever you're ready to speak to me with some respect." _

_._

What was supposed to be a simple "take care of yourself turned into a Henry-sized manbaby tantrum, as far as Char was concerned. She felt like he owed her an apology for jumping down her throat when she was merely being a friend, but she didn't hold her breath for it. She didn't focus on it. She focused on the move. She focused on her new campus. Initially, she was mad that he acted like her leaving was a personal attack on him. Like she had to stay with him or near him in order for him to support her? What kind of friend expects that? Then, her discomfort was doubled by the fact that not only had he been very aggressive that she worried about having to leave him behind, but he insinuated that she wasn't important enough to even have an opinion of his dysfunctional situation with Ray. Well, that was his business, then. She minded hers and lived her life like there wasn't a Henry in her heart. It was a tough transition, but she still had Jasper and they got closer after the fallout.

Jasper wasn't sure what had been said, because Henry was too upset to talk about it and Charlotte didn't want to give it any energy. So she explained it as, "I criticized Ray, and Henry took that as a chance to tell me things that I guess he's hated about me all along," and she shrugged her shoulders.

.

"Jasper is requesting time off to see Charlotte again?" Ray complained, looking at the schedule.

"Who cares, Dude? It's a fake store, and you didn't even wanna hire him in the first place."

"It's just funny how when Charlotte was here, she didn't care about Jasper, but now that she's made everyone mad, they're suddenly a thing. You don't think that's… funny?"

"I mean… they've been friends a long time. If they're happy, that's good with me."

"You don't feel betrayed by one or both of them?"

"Why would I?" Henry asked the question but he knew why Ray was saying these things. He knew that Ray knew he'd had feelings for Charlotte and Ray knew that Charlotte probably knew and Jasper probably knew and with them knowing, whether or not he and Char were speaking, she and Jasper shouldn't be _dating! _

"Your best friend hooked up with your girl."

"She was never my girl. They're both my friend and I'm happy for them. Truly."

Truly, he was not. He didn't even pretend to be. Jasper eventually realized it wasn't because he was still mad at her and didn't want to hear about her, but because he was in love with her. Discovering that made him feel guilty and awkward and he and Charlotte were over soon after. He never mentioned it because she was drifting away from him anyway, so a mutual split was best.

Henry _still _hadn't found anyone that he cared half as much about. The only girl he ever loved left him, tore him down, dated his best friend and never even checked on him in 10 years...at least that was how it felt at first.

He hadn't checked on her either. He didn't even want to know because he was sure that by now she was married to some epitome of perfect guy, killing it in a career she loved and baking a kid, maybe already had…

But the moment he'd seen her, (and he recognized her right away with just 45 seconds of the back of her head and a glimpse of her profile when she checked her phone), he didn't care about anything else. Char was back. She was there. And he'd been so happy just to have another chance to see her!

Jasper set Henry's feet down when he fell asleep, covered him with a blanket and went to bed.

.

Charlotte was already at her office working when she heard the door and got up to greet a potential client. It wasn't a client, but a delivery person. She glanced around and realized none of her employees were in yet, so she greeted him. "Hi. I'm the only one here so hopefully I can sign for those." She said, figuring they probably were for the one married woman in the office, but she guessed it could be for anyone. Flowers were already uncommon to just receive. She hoped nobody died!

The delivery guy broke into her thoughts with, "Yeah, you can. I just gotta make sure I put your last name."

"Page."

"Oh! Woman, somebody must really love you. These are yours. This is probably like a $500 bouquet."

"That could also mean somebody is scared of me. Trust me. Nobody loves me that much," she said signing for the flowers and honestly thinking about checking to see if a bomb was in them. But, when she looked at the card and saw the neat handwriting, she read out loud, "I should have said I'm sorry 10 years ago. I'm sorry for everything. I don't want that stuff on this journey." She smiled and admired the lush bouquet.

Henry had mentioned that he had a florist shop now, but that didn't mean that these flowers were free. He might have used his own stock, but this was still hella thoughtful, and she was grateful for that apology that she felt she was owed, even though she wasn't going to harp on it. She hadn't even wanted to bring it up, but…

At any rate, she snapped a photo and then made a little video to post with it. That old school cartoon thing where they obliterate a flower for no good reason? Yep, that one. "He loves me. He loves me not…" She only did a few petals and let the rest hang in the air.

The first person to like the post was Henry. Then he changed the like to the love reaction. She smiled again and turned on some music.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello Stranger Part 3**

Harry had woke up on the couch with a start! He had been transported into the past while he slept, and was right at that moment where he lives Charlotte walk out of his life. That day he didn't know he wouldn't see her for 10 years. Now that he did, every time she walked away was a nightmare. He checked his phone. He'd only gotten about 2 hours of sleep. But he still got up and headed straight to the florist shop.

Making floral arrangements gave him some peace of mind. The decision to open a real store occupy his time and set appointments for people had been one of his best ideas. Most people ordered online anyway. And it was nothing to hire a few people to just man the shop, for when he couldn't be there because of his real work as Captain Danger.

None of the staff knew of his lifestyle, nor did they have access to the Man Caves. Schwoz reprogrammed the elevator to be code activated, and they replaced a few of the damaged caves with other burrows that Henry needed. His gym, his spa, a man cave for Schwoz, one for Jasper, and Ray's retirement home… which was currently the active Man Cave, because he didn't have friends or plans but didn't want to work as Captain Man anymore.

Henry's biggest concern about Ray retiring was that he didn't want Ray to "Jason Todd" him. "If you want to relinquish Captain Man, I take up the mantle-hood for sure and for good. Schwoz works for the Man Cave, meaning me and you can't have the right or even the ability to take anything over from me." Ray had agreed to that, only because he assumed Henry would be lax about it.

Sometimes he would try to threaten Schwoz to get something his way, but Henry had given Schwoz the option to escape Ray's threats by grounding him in the Man Cave until he calmed down. The first time was a doozy. The fight that Ray and Henry had when he came to see if he'd cooled off was their biggest yet. At the end of the conversation, Henry clarified, "As long as I'm in charge of the Man Cave, you don't get to attack, threaten or violate Schwoz or Jasper. They work for me and it is a hostile work environment that I won't allow on my watch. If you can't deal with that, Schwoz will bring Halley back to babysit you, if need be." He had his tough dad voice that he sometimes had to use with his own dad and when Ray stormed to his retirement cave, he locked him out of the Man Cave for a while,just in case.

But, seeing Charlotte and recalling their argument, his words, and recollection of examples of her truth over the years… he had to make it right. He built her a bouquet and sent it to where the search engine told him her office was. The high point of his day,nope.. his decade, was seeing the reaction she posted and all of the replies.

Followers trying to guess who the mystery man was. All the heart eyes and jealous drooling. The compliments on the bouquet itself because he appreciated respect for his craftsmanship.

.

Taking things slow, Charlotte soon realized meant that Henry needed them to work at his pace. Not necessarily slow in general, but he seemed more at ease whenever he could make the first move. She could handle that. She didn't like to chase anyway, so that was preferred to her.

They were spending time together, going on dates, talking about themselves and their worlds, and not dwelling on the fight and forgiveness between them - just the future. They were helping Jasper with wedding plans, both silently thinking and wondering what their own might look like if that was ever an option. Charlotte absolutely lived for Jasper's engagement ring and whenever they went to help him pick out Don's wedding ring, she couldn't help but notice Henry looking at various other ones. So, just for laughs, she said, "Be sure to consider that it's either an ethically sourced diamond, if not just crystals, something that says she's sift and dainty, but also don't get it twisted, she's a god-damned boss."

Henry blushed and giggled, "I don't even know what that means but I'll repeat it for the vendor if I'm ever in the market. I'm more of a 4 c's, reputable jeweler with genuine care for the buyer… I feel like just like with food or with flowers, the gift of a ring has to have all of the steps outlined in love. Like… I agree with ethically sourcing, and raise you ethically selecting. The jeweler needs to help the fiance find the perfect ring for their spouse,to feel that energy in that little piece of jewelry. But also, the jewelry has to consent. She has to call you and let you know that she's willing to be that symbol for the rest of her existence…" He looked at a particular ring whenever he said that. Charlotte definitely peeped it. It was perfect. It was probably the most visible representation of her desire for a ring that she had ever seen.

Whenever Henry caught her staring at it with him, he noted the expression in her eyes. She blinked it away and smiled, saying, "Well, Henry Hart, you and some ring are going to make some person… to be honest, if anybody proposed to me having said some stuff like that, they'd better have the entire ceremony in their pocket because how do you not just marry them on the spot?" He laughed.

Jasper fussed from across the store, "I really am happy that you found love, and I'ma let you finish, but I'M the one trying to buy a ring right now!"

Both friends blushed and, and bumbled over their words, and got back to business. Henry gestured to the jeweler at the ring when Charlotte was devoting her visible attention to Jasper. He didn't know when or if he'd ever actually use it, but seeing that look in her eyes, he certainly couldn't just leave it behind… not that he was letting either of his friends see him take it today. There were so many conversations and milestones before… he could even fathom breaching that subject.

Months passed of something that he couldn't put into words. Charlotte gave him the space and speed he needed all of the time and didn't seem pressed about it. They were going to be each other's dates to the wedding, even though they were both actually in the wedding as part of Jasper's wedding party, and he was simply floating on air lately.

Three months into their relationship, he was finally ready to be sexual with her. He'd explained the first time that they got physically intimate that he "didn't really get around to gaining any experience." It took quick work for her not to facially respond to Henry admitting to her that he was not only a virgin but sort of a prude. "I just couldn't for a long time, then after a while, it was pretty embarrassing and I've never met anybody or gotten close to anybody that I could be vulnerable enough to admit this to. I hope you don't think I'm as much of a loser as I feel right now."

She collected him and strummed his face, "There's no reason for either of us to feel like you're a loser. So you haven't had sex yet. So what? There's plenty of people who haven't for various reasons and all of them are valid. The reasons and the people."

The months of kissing, cuddling, and watching Henry figure out what he liked and loved and wanted was really satisfying for her. She had forgotten what it was like to have longer journeys than a fling and sometimes forgotten how it felt to _feel _something for the person that she was physically connecting with. Besides that, by the time he was ready for her, she was working with a combination of 10 years of him longing, 28 years of him waiting, and the 15 years of hero physical training and working that had his body magnificent to her. Plus, she was super in love with him at that point. It was hands down the best she had ever had and as they grew, it just kept getting better.

For him, it was the fulfillment of everything that he had waited for. Charlotte was always careful not to make him feel upset or unsure. She didn't make him feel inadequate. She was clear and concise about what she could do for and to him, always making certain that he was comfortable and consenting. It was way more beautiful than he thought his first time would be. He expected her to look annoyed when he fumbled or chuckle uncontrollably when he asked what he felt like were stupid questions. She was the perfect partner though - equal portions companion and friend.

It was like he'd been living in a bubble. It was like he forgot that real life had a way of bursting bubbles. It was like he forgot that just because Ray wasn't around her, Ray didn't exist on the same plane. He had definitely forgotten that Ray had agreed to give Jasper away…

.

From the moment that he and Charlotte came into contact, Ray was pretty much at her neck. The thing about it was that they hadn't seen each other in 10 years and the last time that he'd done this to him, she had told him about himself and didn't take it back nor regret it a single moment. So, on this day, she _certainly _wasn't going to have any of his shit.

"Ah, if it isn't world renown problem solver Charlotte. Are you here to make sure nobody has any fun at Jasper's wedding?"

Henry sighed threw his head back. Why hadn't he considered that Charlotte and Ray would have bad blood.

"Oh, look - Ray Manbabychester. Riding fifty and still going on fifteen," she commented right back. He fumed and she smiled and added, "Great to see you, Old Man."

"I don't look a day over 35," he said, and while he did still look pretty good for his age, she couldn't resist.

"Maybe not, but you don't act a day over 5. Moving on to rehearsal, because we do want this to go on schedule, right Jasper?" Jasper fought off laughter as he nodded. For the rest of the rehearsal, Ray and Charlotte had it out. He'd try to get under her skin and she'd redirect him to what he could kiss. By the end of it, she announced to everyone, "Okay. People that we all claim to love are getting married on tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours, and immeasurable dedication has been given to this event. If I am the fun police, I'll be that, because I'll be _damned, _if _anyone," _she looked directly at Ray, "jeopardizes Jasper's special day."

"Bridesmaid of Buzzkill, everyone!" Ray cheered.

"That doesn't even make sense, you MASSIVE idiot!" she fussed, finally losing her cool. "I can't believe that you're still exactly the same as you always were..." Her voice was high pitched and screeching and she was honestly ready to sock him in the face, now thinking about the fact that he was pretty much the reason that she and Henry hadn't spoken in as long as they hadn't and she knew that even though Henry never said it that he probably spent that time bad mouthing her, just like he was currently doing. And now that she was thinking about it, she was a little bit mad that Henry hadn't defended her today, not once and was getting ready to drag his ass for that too, as soon as she got him alone, but he injected himself into her fussing at Ray.

"Dude, you've been on her all day, and everybody is exhausted with it. Just stop."

Ray scoffed. "Don't. Don't do that. Look, when I was an 18 year old kid, I let that stuff fly, but you _know _what she means to me and even if you don't like her or don't respect her, I'm not gonna just stand here while you bash her. It's offensive to her, to me, and to Jasper, who we're all here for… And you know… His spouse-to-be too…"

Ray folded his arms, "You're siding with her after everything that she did to you?"

"Everything she…?" Henry clenched his fists and said to Jasper, "We're gonna go, okay?" Jasper nodded. Ray moped as he stomped out of the building and Charlotte tried to keep steam from exploding from her ears. Henry gently pulled her aside, shook his head and said, "I am so sorry that I let that go on for so long. I promise, I was gonna get him together when he first jumped off, but you seemed like you had it and I didn't think he was getting to you until that part. I would've protected you if I thought you needed it.."

She nodded, "I did have it at first. Then, he just kept taking jabs and I thought about all of the years that I put up with that kind of stuff from him. I thought about all of the realizations that I came to in my self discovery of how toxic and traumatic a lot of his verbal and emotional abuse was and the times that he literally almost killed me multiple times while I was a kid at a part time job. Then, I thought about everything that he's done to you, and I just snapped. I know you love him. I know that I don't fully understand your relationship. I just…"

"You're right. You were then and you are now. It took me awhile to realize it, that over the years as I was coming into myself, I saw examples and I know that you were spot on about a lot of it, even if I couldn't handle hearing it yet. I do love him and I always will, but I'm not letting those feelings get in between you and me ever again.I'm still working on me and I'm working on him. I'm working on us. I let my loyalty to Ray make us strangers, once. We were never supposed to be that. Look, I know that you don't believe in "the one" or forever, but whatever it is that you think about journeys, I think that you have to know that some of those don't end until you die. And that's what I want, with you. This journey until I'm done."

She leaned into him with a smile and said, "Henry Hart, that sounded suspiciously like a proposal."

"Well, it was definitely the set up to one. Certainly can't ask any time this weekend. Do you realize the level of Bridesgroomzilla that Jasper would unleash?"

"Oh, he would kill us."

"Precisely, and I'm not in any position to die, now that I've finally found my reason for living."

It would be an utter lie to suggest that he didn't frequently make her gush. This eas above and beyond that, though it was interrupted when Ray yelled from the door, "Henry, are we leaving or not?"

Henry groaned, forced a smile and said through his teeth, "He might wind up getting killed."

"Yeah, by Jasper if he keeps it up," she said and they parted ways. A couple of hugs and kisses later, that is. "Good luck getting Gramps settled."

He met up with Ray, scolding him while he pouted and Charlotte waved at them and watched them bicker from the window of the venue. Ray was a lot, but Henry said that he was working on him, on them,so maybe there was hope for him yet.

As for her hope, she was staring at him. He looked back, smiled and the world stopped for a while. Maybe she hadn't believed in soul mates because at the time, hers was a stranger and they were estranged. She didn't know that it could ever be this way. But, it was and her next journey just might be the longest. The stranger was gone now and her soul mate had entered the journey with her and he wanted that journey… for life.

**The End.**


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